Admission to the Social Work Program is a competitive process. Acceptance into the program is predicated on the following:

The satisfactory completion of English Composition I and II, and your math requirement

The ability to complete the application and follow instructions in the application process

The meeting of minimum GPA standards: 2.5 in most recent 30 hours

The quality, strength and appropriateness of both your writing sample and your two reference forms

The quality and progress of all prior academic history (GPA will be calculated by the last 30 hours of coursework only)

Demonstrated compliance and/or potential compliance with professional expectations as indicated in interactions and communications with staff, faculty, and students - see Student Handbook for description and details

The pool of applicants

The number of slots available

The needs of the community and profession

The BSW Admissions Committee, a committee comprised of the social work faculty at UHD, will review applications and will determine the admission status for each applicant.

Admissions Determination

After review of applications, the BSW Admissions Committee will issue one of the following determinations:

Clear Admission:Applicant is accepted into the Program.

Conditional Admission: Applicant is accepted with a condition. Students receiving conditional admission must meet with a social work advisor to develop a plan for achieving clear admission.

Denied Admission: Applicant is not accepted into the Program for the semester s/he applied. Students denied admission may reapply in the future. If considering reapplication, students are encouraged to meet with a social work faculty member to discuss ways to strengthen their application.

Pending Status: Decision on the applicant is delayed pending the completion of the admissions application. However, applicants should know that incomplete applications will be less competitive in the pool. In addition, incomplete applications are not guaranteed a pending status and are more likely to result in a denied admission.

Application Deadline

All applications must be reviewed by all committee members. If you are applying for the Fall semester, the last day to submit your application is May 15th. Any application received after this date may not be processed until mid-August. If you are applying for the Spring semester, the last day to submit your application is November 1st. Any application received after this date may not be processed until mid-January.

Declaration of Major

Students cannot declare independently a major in Social Work. Students who receive admission to the program will automatically be coded by the system as Social Work majors. This process may take up 4 to 6 weeks after the student has been accepted by the program and has enrolled in courses at UHD. Students who have received admission to the program but whose major is not displayed in their records 4 to 6 weeks of their admission to the program should notify the Social Work Program Director, Dr. Stephen Wernet, at (Wernets@uhd.edu).

Students who are denied admission or receive conditional admission and have evidence or information that may influence the Admissions Committee’s decision may request a hearing to appeal the decision. Requests for a hearing must be made in writing and postmarked within 20 days from the date of the admission’s status letter. Within 20 days of the receipt of the student’s request for a hearing, a hearing date will be set by the Hearing Committee. The Hearing Committee will be comprised of the Social Work faculty and one outside faculty member appointed by the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice. The student will meet with the Hearing Committee to present the necessary information. The Hearing Committee will issue a decision in writing within one week of the hearing. If the student has evidence that the Hearing Committee has made its decision in violation of the program’s policies, the student may appeal the Hearing Committee’s decision in the following sequence:

To the Department Chair

the Dean of the College of Public Service. (This policy is informed by PS 03.A.04 for Grade Appeals.)